This year is somehow symbolic my 23rdrd I have attended Arizona Auction Week for years and have driven a few rental cars and quite a few press cars over the years. These include everything from the Nissan Versa SV (the car least deserving of SV in its name) to exotic cars like the Aston Martin DB11. This year is a little different because I’m driving a car for a week in Arizona that is unlike any of my other cars: the 2023 Lucid Air Grand Touring Edition.
If you haven’t heard of the Lucid Air, it’s an all-electric luxury sedan. The car’s design is unlike any other modern car I’ve seen, and it’s a truly groundbreaking design both exterior and interior. It’s less of a direct competitor to the Tesla S, which frankly the Air is better at in every way, but more of a competitor to the Mercedes EQS.
I had originally planned to rent a car for the week, but last week my friend Dave Buchko, Lucid product PR manager, called me and asked if I would be interested in driving the Air for the week. Of course I agreed, as I had only ridden an Air prototype for a while, and then last year on the track with Ben Collins, aka The Stig.
I met Airem in the outside parking lot and was immediately struck by how good the car looked. I was a bit unsure if I could figure out how to use the car, but I was instantly at home with the car and quickly managed to locate the controls, pair my phone and set up the navigation. to Barrett-Jackson to pick up my first certificate of the week.
On the road, even with the lowest power, I could easily feel the truly amazing acceleration and power under my right foot. I had achieved this at a higher level during the Stig journey, but being able to drive the car myself was completely different. I also quickly learned that the Air can only be driven using the gas pedal, which reminded me of driving NASCAR cars on ovals.
I arrived at Barrett-Jackson about 30 minutes later and quickly realized that I was going much faster than I should have been and that I had to watch how fast I was going as it was very easy to drive the car over the speed limit.
I pulled into the valet parking and after explaining how the car worked I got my credentials and went into the main auction tent.
I met Dave at the Lucid booth and told him how much I liked the car. I added that all my suitcases, briefcases and camera equipment fit in the rear trunk. If you know me well, you know I take about two weeks worth of clothes on a week long trip, so this was a truly remarkable feat.
I spent the rest of the day at Barrett-Jackson planning the auction circuit and selecting the cars to talk about.
I left the auction and met Dave for dinner at the Tommy Bahama Cafe to talk and ask questions about the car. I had lots of questions and after dinner Dave showed me some of the car’s hidden features, including Launch mode for maximum acceleration. I haven’t tested it yet, but I might find a way to do it later this week, so stay tuned.
After dinner I went to my hotel, checked in and went to bed.
Total miles on day one: 72
